Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 14, 2017

© REUTERS/ Rodi Said

Howard LaFranchi, CSM: Marines sent to Syria. Can US withstand pull of expanded military conflict?

MODELS OF THOUGHT Whether by strategic design or not, the Trump administration appears to be pivoting away from the hands-off approach to Syria that Barack Obama pursued for years. Experts say the US deployment likely will grow.

The 400 Marines dispatched to northern Syria last week to back up US-trained rebel forces battling the so-called Islamic State were plunked down into a war of acute risk and geopolitical complexity that is entering its seventh year.

Little fanfare accompanied announcement of the relatively diminutive deployment of an advanced artillery unit and support forces – a mission that brings to about 700 the total number of US troops on the ground in Syria, where a brutal civil war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and combatants and displaced millions.

Yet the Marines could end up being the bridgehead of a much larger US stabilization force that would hold a swath of eastern Syria once IS, or ISIS, is routed from its self-declared capital in Raqqa.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 14, 2017

43 American tank transporters, vehicles arrive to Manbij outskirts -- Al Arabiya

US Dispatches New Batch of Armored Vehicles, Military Personnel to Syria -- Sputnik

US puts off announcing decision on Raqqa until after Turkey referendum -- Al-Monitor

CENTCOM commander calls Iran greatest threat to the region -- Military Times

Drills to strike N. Korea taking place -- Korea Times

US deploying attack drones to South Korea -- The Hill

South Korea's spy agency likely to become No.1 target of reform -- Korea Times

Why US anti-missile system in South Korea worries China -- Chris Buckley, Times of India/NYT News Service

Pentagon wants to declare more parts of world as temporary battlefields -- The Guardian

In huge show of force, Japan to send helicopter carrier Izumo to South China Sea -- South China Morning Post

As overseas ambitions expand, China plans 400 per cent increase to marine corps numbers, sources say -- South China Morning Post

China’s First Overseas Military Base Nearing Completion -- Defense Tech

Sweden Edges up Military Spending, Says More to Come -- Reuters

NATO report: Allies' defense spending inches upward -- The Hill

Exercises With U.S. Military Help Chadian Forces Fight Extremism -- NPR

African militaries wonder what ‘America First’ means for them -- Defense News

Army eyes outfitting soldiers with anti-drone guns on the battlefield -- Defense News

US Navy submarine program loses some of its shine -- Defense News

Marines’ CH-53K King Stallion Set to Become World’s Most Expensive Helicopter -- DoD Buzz

Army Leaders Search for Answers to Multi-Domain Battle -- Military.com

White House plan to gut foreign military financing would cost defense jobs, senators warn -- Defense News

Lawmakers protest White House plan to cut Coast Guard budget -- Defense News

U.S. Army recruiting largest increase in command’s history -- FOX 31

Inside Marines United: Infighting roiled the group that sparked the military's nude photo scandal -- Military Times

Sensitive info from Air Force was publicly visible online: report -- The Hill

What's the purpose of President Trump's Navy? -- Simon Reich and Peter Dombrowski, Defense News

Versatile V-22 Osprey Is The Most Successful New Combat System Since 9-11 -- Loren Thompson, Forbes

Fashion Over Function: Why Drones Still Play Second Fiddle to Fighters -- Jon Batt, RCD

Why The F-35 Is The Iphone Of Fighter Aircraft -- Russ Read, Daily Caller

How to Protect Hawaii from a North Korean Missile Attack -- Dr. Ariel Cohen, Huffington Post

Why the CIA uses board games to train its officers -- FOX 43/CNN

Why WikiLeaks' CIA Hacking Trove Is a Boon to Putin's Russia -- Newsweek

How the U.S. Military Plans to Save Stealth from Becoming Obsolete -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest

I Ran Intel at the Pentagon. Here’s My Advice on Insider Threats -- Marcel Lettre, Defense One

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